Lieutenant JG Tali Namura - Genes and Gasoline (Part II)

[Jo Marshall]

((Sickbay, USS Gorkon))

Finch read the first three lines of the text and Tali listened, impressed by her ability to stick at the task despite the difficulty she faced in the bottom few. As Doz's focus faltered, Tali looked up from the PADD and winced under the radar when she got the last completely wrong. Despite it, Finch smiled with the satisfaction of a job well done, leaning heavily on those years of hard work recognising symbols and shapes from the smallest of places in the dimmest of lighting.

It did, however, reveal something about Tali she hadn't considered before. What would she do when her eyesight started to fail? Would she modify herself?

Finch: Come on, then! Next test. Tell me it's one of those colour tests, where you’ve got to read a number but it’s all camouflaged in little multicoloured dots. I’ve done one of them before. Doctor Ziao–the Chief Medical officer on the Marigold–did one on me too. Had the same suspicions you did. I told him he’d be swallowing his words once the test was over. ::she harrumphed:: Horrible man, had it all wrong he did. Nutritional specialist. Always blamed bad health on what we consumed, as if genetics didn't play a part, or stress or anything else. Told him, you could spend your life drinking gasoline, and still live to see a hundred, with the right genes.

Doz's accent continued to rattle like an overpowered fusion engine as she darted her eyes around like a seasoned professional planning her next escape. Tali drummed her fingers on the PADD in front of her as Loxley continued with the test.

Loxley: Response

Finch: Marvelous. Let’s see then. Well, that one’s obvious, it’s the number six. Onto the next!

Loxley: Response

Finch: Number sixty-six. That’s three sixes so far. ::She turned to Loxley with a ghostly expression.:: The devil’s in the details.

Winking at the red-headed Doctor, Doz offered him a silent laugh, then her hands flexed as if she were about ready to lift herself, the desk, the chair, and the door up from the floor at once.

Loxley: Response

Finch: Sixteen. Now, this is just getting ridiculous.

She slapped her knee and Tali chuckled—not at the Engineer, but at their situation. Her notes had already provided enough conclusive evidence Tali needed to present her findings to the Ensign, who looked like she needed some of Corliss' peanut brittle and an evening with a good bath and a bad bottle.

Namura: Wrap up when you're ready, Doctor Loxley. We're reaching the tail end now.

Loxley: Response

The lights came up once more, illuminating the office back to the original lighting, sparkling the crisp and clean lines of the table and Tali's angular features swept in porcelain skin. Looking down at the PADD in front of her, she concluded the test with the press of a fingertip and pursed her lips as she decided on the next course of action to take. Doz cleared her throat and moved in the way people do when they kick their feet beneath the confines of the table.

Finch: I’ll head off, then, shall I? No doubt you’ll be needing this room for some of them lot in there. Poor sods. ::She shook her head:: Some of them don’t half look bad. Is there anything need doing in here? Everything working as it should? Nothing faulty or a bit sluggish? We’ve had a right nightmare with the circuitry on deck sixteen—gravimetric misalignment. ::she threw her eyes backwards:: We’re chocker with repairs so it wouldn’t surprise me if something in here was off.

The engineer lifted her tea from the desk and took a careful sip, sighing with some measure of relief.

Namura: Thanks for coming in, Ensign. There were some concerns over the minor injuries you sustained on your last tour, raised by the Medical Chief over there. ::Looping her fingers through the mug of tea, Tali sat back in her chair as she looked to Loxley.:: Doctor, what were your findings?

Loxley: Response

Namura: I'd recommend not wearing your ocular enhancers in the evening when you've clocked off your duty shift. Try to get as much time without them as you can. ::Her nail knocked on the edge of the PADD.:: You'll see a greater benefit in giving them a rest.

Loxley/Finch: Response

Namura: Aside from that, I can't see anything to worry about. You're the picture of health and I hope when I'm in my sixties, I've got a good bone structure. For a human, your calcium levels are perfect, your protein levels are adequate. While sodium intake could be lower, we'll worry about it when it's something to worry about. But for now, you're free to clock your heels together and fly, my pretty, fly.

Loxley/Finch: Response

Standing from behind the desk, Tali let the mug of tea rest on her bicep as she smiled, albeit a little with the self-satisfaction of a prankster nature simmering beneath the surface.

Namura: By the way, Doctor Ziao said to say hello, and he hopes you're not guzzling gasoline or someone else's genes.

Loxley/Finch: Response

 
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Lieutenant JG Tali Namura
Acting Chief Medical Officer
USS Gorkon
G239304JM0